Lifeline
by SmilesAndLaughs
Summary: They were best friends. When Caroline suddenly goes missing Nik is relentless in his search for her. Eight months later she's back and she's pregnant? Can he get revenge on the men who did this to her? Or will he get caught up in the past? What's he hiding? What Skeletons are in her closet? Read and review!(:
1. Return to Me

Lifeline.

Chapter 1: Return to Me

**Warning. Mature themes such as rape and "violience. (haha if you think this is violent you probably shouldn't be reading fanfiction)**

They had been the best of friends since they were children. They grew up together and stuck by each other's sides through thick and thin. He was there when her dad left. She was there when his mother died. He held her when she was scared. She helped him when he was hurt. They were figuring out life together. Well, that was until the day she was taken. Kidnapped.  
Niklaus Mikaelson set down the picture of his best friend, going back to his research. It was just going into the eighth month she had been gone. It had been a long ongoing search, and yet all the leads they had came up dry. He wasn't sure what else to do. She was already everywhere in the news and tabloids. They sent out an Amber alert. There was a press conference to get help from the media. They had gotten some tips on suspicious characters, which all turned out to be misunderstandings. Nothing added up. He let out an audible sigh and picked up the picture once more.  
'Where are you Caroline?' He thought as his fingers pressed on the glass.  
"Ey Klaus, your brother is here." Another officer said as he walked past Klaus.  
"Thanks Dave." Klaus said again setting the picture down.  
"Niklaus." Elijah said approaching him.  
"What is it now 'Lijah?" He said in an irritated tone.  
"Niklaus, I think you need to come home. You haven't left here in three days." Elijah crossed his arms.  
"There is work to be done, Elijah. I'm working in a new lead." Klaus said taking a sip of his coffee.  
"No, Niklaus. Enough is enough. I think it is time for you to come home and rest."  
"Not until I find her." He said shifting to the computer screen.  
"Niklaus." Elijah said in a parental tone.  
"Not. Until. I. Find. Her." He growled repeating his words this time laced with venom.  
"She wouldn't want to see you like this."  
"I can't give up on her." He said typing away on the computer.  
Just then the phone rang. Quickly he answered.  
"Hello?"  
Elijah watched his brother listen attentively to words of the person on the other line. He absorbed all of it. He took out a paper and pen and began writing things down in a hurry. Then he froze and his face shift to one that wasn't easy to read. He looked like he was lost in a trance or something.  
"Can you repeat that?" He said coming out of it and jotting more things down on the paper.  
"Okay. We're on our way."  
Elijah just cocked an eyebrow when his brother hung up the phone and stood.  
"We need an ambulance and three cars at west 32nd and Brookwood!" Klaus said before scurrying to get his coat on.  
"Niklaus? Where do you think you're going?" Elijah said watching his younger brother pick up his keys.  
"To Caroline." He said marching out leaving his brother to follow him.

September? August? She couldn't quite remember, but she could tell that it must be late summer due to the shifting atmosphere.  
Had she been gone that long? Only being able to tell the time of year, not even remembering what day it was.  
She missed home. She wished that she could just go home and forget. She just want to forget everything. She didn't want to remember the daily torture she went though and everything they had done to her, but she couldn't likely forget. The memories would stay with her especially now. She looked down at her baby bump.  
It wasn't very large, though she was almost sure that she was somewhere around her fifth month. She shook her head. Trying not to think about how this baby's life would be if she didn't escape soon.  
She stood up and walked around the small barn, the place she had been living in. It was shackled down the doors were locked from the outside, tightly wound by chains. Every wood plank nailed into place making sure she couldn't craw out and escape. It wouldn't be easy but she would do it. She knew she would have to escape now and today was the day to do it. She sighed. 'Its now or never'  
"I told you Yong wouldn't come though!" Yelled one of the two guys that held her here.  
"Well we still have Kung-chee." The other yelled back causing commotion. "He made an offer for it. Maybe we could sell it to him"  
She could hear them unlatching the door. She braced herself, clutching her bump.  
She heard them walk inside.  
"Well, well, look who's up!" One said grinning.  
She gulped almost ready to forget her plans. 'I can't give up. It's for the baby.'  
"Please don't hurt me." She said semi-faking, but also semi-meaning the panicked tone.  
"Oh did you hear that, Jerry? I guess we shouldn't hurt her."  
"I don't know about that Jim, I say we teach her a lesson."  
Both men made their way to her slowly creeping closer.  
She knew what would happen next, but this time she was prepared. They had left a metal plate in there last time she had a meal, and she hid it underneath a mount of hay.  
"Jerry close the door." Jim said grinning wickedly.  
As Jerry went for the door she took her chance grabbing the pan from under the hay and smacked it hard against Jim's skull. She watched him fall to the floor. She quickly grabbed Jim's gun. When Jerry turned around he was greeted with a pistol graciously aimed at his face.  
"You better think about this blondie." He said raising his hands defensively  
"Oh I have thought about this since the moment I got here." She smirked and swiftly knocked him out with the back of the pistol.  
She carried Jerry over to Jim leaving their limp bodies on the floor. She then walked out of barn, finding some rope and tying them together back to back and also tying their legs down. She took the key from Jim's pocket, then walked out closing the door and locking it, securing the chains tightly. She sighed. Free. She was free.

8 months ago. February 11th.  
The cold February air blew against Caroline's face as she reached for her car keys inside of her bag. She was walking in the hospital's parking garage at about 2 AM after just getting off her shift. She sighed as she walked through the seemingly empty space.  
"Caroline Forbes?" A man said approaching her.  
She looked up from her purse, staring at the man before her.  
"Umm. I'm sorry. Do I know you?" She asked.  
"You don't know us, but your buddy Klaus does."  
She saw another guy behind him. The both wore odd grins on their faces, creeping her out. Sensing danger she began to reach for her phone from her purse quickly dialing the number before they could say anything more. The man leaned forward and grabbed the phone from her hand and threw it onto the ground. He inched closer causing her to back up with each step he took. Her back came in contact with a wall. He leaned in, one arm against the wall, he towered over her looking down at her. His smirk more defined. She closed her eyes as she tried to even out her breathing.  
"What do you want from me?" She asked tentatively, panicking on the inside. "A-A-And what does Nik have to do with anything?"  
"Awee. Nik? Did you hear that Jimmy?" He said throwing questions to the guy behind him, but never looking away from her. "Well your buddy 'Nikky' seems to be keeping things from you Caroline, but don't worry. You won't have to see him for a very long while." He smirked licking his lip. "In the meantime, you can entertain us."  
He picked her up from where she was and began walking towards the other guy.  
"No please put me down! Please. NO!" She began kicking and screaming. Tears rolled down her face as she fought to get loose from his grip. "LET ME GO! HELP ME! SOMEONE! HELP ME!"  
He handed her to his friend in the mix of her screams. "Shut. Her. Up."  
He told his friend as she still continued to cry. " HELP ME! ANYONE! I NE-"  
He cut her off hitting the back of her head making her pass out in his arms.  
Jimmy took the girl into the truck and Jerry went over to where her phone had landed. He heard muffled yelling coming from it. He smirked once more and picked up the phone.  
"Klaus." He grinned from ear to ear.  
"Who is this? You leave Caroline alone! You hear me?! Don't you dare touch her!" He growled.  
"Awe. That wouldn't be any fun now would it?" Jerry said.  
"Why are you doing this? WHO THE HELL IS THIS?"  
"We'll be sure to have fun with her. Good luck trying to find her. She is quite the cute little thing, isn't she? Well I mean when she isn't screaming her head off, but then again it was a little thrilling hearing her call for help like that."  
"Why you sick little-"  
"Tisk Tisk. Calling names won't get you friends."  
"You leave her alone!"  
"Hmm I'll think about that... Nah, anyway I have to cut this conversation short. She's waiting. And you know how girls can be..."  
"NO DON'T YOU DARE-"  
The line disconnected. Klaus threw his phone angrily against the wall.  
"Nik, what happened?" Rebekah asked as he looked up at all of his siblings who were standing by the door watching intently.  
"Its Caroline." He growled. "She's been taken."

"Miss? Miss? Please miss wake up." Caroline heard as she felt her body being turned over. "Oh my god. Your that girl from the news."  
She heard the person stand up and start doing something, but she didn't know what. She tried to pry her own eyes open, but they barely opened enough for her to see where she was. She was in the grass on the side of a not so busy highway. She must have passed out some time between then and the night before. She looked up to see a woman standing by her with a phone pressed to her ear.  
"Yes. Theres a girl here, well actually it's the missing girl from the news. She is laying on the side of the road. Yes she..." Her words began to blend together as she leaned away from consciousness once again.  
Next thing she knew she heard sirens and men getting out from their cars. She tried opening her eyes once more, this time her eyes fluttered open slowly. She took in her surroundings, men were huddling around her. One man desperate to get to her. He crouched down beside her as the ambulance pulled up. She squinted in order to see his facial features. His image came into view.  
"N-Nikky?" She said through her sore throat.  
The ambulance quickly unloaded the gurney and placed her onto it. She began to plead with the man in the ambulance. "Please don't hurt my baby."  
Tears streamed down her face. She flinched when she felt fingers brush them away. Then relaxed when she saw it was only Klaus. He bent down to her eye level.  
"Everything's going to be okay. You trust me, right?" He said stroking the hair.  
She gave him a nod. Then she heard the ambulance door slam. Her head snapped in the direction of the door. She gasped at the noise and began to cry harder, her heart thumped harder against her chest.  
"Caroline, love, look at me." Klaus said. She turned her attention back over to him. "It's just a door. No one is here to hurt you. Calm down, love."  
She began to sob uncontrollably. "I can't. I can't."  
"Shhh. Sweetheart," He said grabbing her hand in his. "Just try, Too much stress isn't good for the baby. Deep breathes."  
She looked into his eyes and began to calm down. She tried to control her breathing. She took deep breathes as he instructed. While the doctor who was inside the ambulance wasn't quite sure what to do.  
"Umm, I'm sorry, but it seems I can't figure out anything until we've reached the hospital."  
Caroline closed her eyes in order to maintain calm.  
"Care."  
Her eyes open at the name he had only called her a handful of times.  
"Tell me about the baby." He said trying to keep her calm and distract her.  
"What is there to tell?" She sniffed.  
"How far along are you?" He asked.  
She shrugged "I don't know. I guess between four months and five. I don't remember how long it had been since they let the doctor come."  
He suppressed the urge to ask who 'they' were and what they had done. Though he partially knew the answer seeing as she was pregnant.  
"Nik,... I'm scared."  
"I know you are, but you'll pull through." He smiled. "I promise."  
"Cross your heart?" She asked.  
"Cross my heart." He said making an 'X' over his heart.  
She nodded more comforted by his statement. As the ride progressed Caroline calmed down more. She turned to Klaus to ask him a question when she bursted into laughter.  
"What's funny?" He asked while raising an eyebrow.  
"You need to shave the rat off your face!" She said laughing a little more.  
"Oh haha!" He said sticking his tongue out at her. "Well I have you know that I haven't really had all that much time to shave lately... And since when have you stopped liking my beard?"  
"I never said I liked you beard. I said I liked the stubble."  
He smiled. He missed this. Her laughter, her smile. He missed everything about her. He prayed to god every night that she would come back safe. He just never thought it would be like this. Caroline barely looked like herself. She lost that look in her eye. The look of determination. Her skin was full of scars and bruises. She was scrawny and unhealthy, the baby just made her look more unhealthy. She needed help. As soon as possible.  
They pulled into hospital and the doctor let out a relieved sigh. Caroline squeezed her best friend's hand nervously. He only smiled at her.  
"I'm afraid we have to depart soon, love." He said kissing her forehead.  
"Nik?"  
"Yes?"  
"Thank you." She said giving his hand one last squeeze.  
The doors of the ambulance flew open and Caroline was whisked away before he could blink. He stood there and watched as they made their way into the hospital. He sighed. He had waited eight months for her to come home. eight months of hard investigation. She was finally back. And now that she was he would make sure that she was safe, at whatever costs.

**Please review and tell me what you think (:**

**P.S. This will be continued. I am working on it at the moment. Thank you for all the positive feed back so far. As Todd would say _"Stay Excellent"_**


	2. Looking for the answers

Lifeline

Chapter 2: looking for the answers

Klaus paced back and forth in the waiting area. It had been a full hour and a half since they had gotten there.

"She should be out by now, shouldn't she?" He said sitting down beside his brother. "I mean it shouldn't take to long. Unless of course there were complication...Oh god. There were complications!"

He placed his head in his hands, while his elbows rested on his knees.

"Niklaus, calm down. I'm sure she is fine."

"What if she isn't fine, Elijah? I just got her back. I can't lose her again."

"She's a fighter. She can do it." Elijah said patting his brother's back. Klaus just shook his head in an unsure way. Elijah could sense something was the matter. There was something else that his brother didn't tell him.

"Is there something that you're not telling me, Niklaus?"

Klaus took in a deep breath closing his eyes. "Caroline is pregnant."

"She's pregnant?!" Elijah asked raising an eyebrow.

"I believe that is what I said, yes. She is pregnant." Nik said irritatedly.

Elijah sat back against his chair with a shocked expression, well as shocked as Elijah gets. "That complicates things."

"Quite a bit." Klaus said.

There was silence, until something came into Elijah's mind.

"Are you going to tell her about her mother?" Elijah asked turning to face his brother.

"I don't know. I mean how can I? It'd crush her."

"Then what are you going to tell her, Niklaus? That her mother went out of town on business? Without a phone? And out of internet's reach? She isn't naïve, Niklaus. She'll know."

"Well would you rather I tell her the truth? Yeah that sounds like a terrific idea brother! She will love to hear that. She doesn't have to know... Does she?

Elijah rolled his eyes. "Yes, she has to know!"

"Well why do I have to be the one to tell her?"

"Niklaus!"

"Fine fine."

Elijah shook his head and leaned back looking at the clock and letting his mind wander.

"Do you think that she will want to keep it?"

Klaus cocked an eyebrow. "Keep what?"

"The child."

"Yes, Caroline would never blame a baby for ... What they did." He let out a growl think about what she went through. Those eight months must have been torture for Caroline. She was probably petrified. He hated the thought of her being beaten and battered. He wanted to tear whoever did this to shreds. And he would when he found them. He would dig into their chest and pull out their heart, but not before pulling out their arms and legs making sure they couldn't get away. He would cause as much torture to them as they had caused to Caroline.

"Niklaus." Elijah said grabbing his arm, pulling him away from the images in his head.

"What?"

Elijah just nodded to the doctor who was walking toward them. Klaus sat up straight and waited for the news.

"Caroline For-"

"That's us." Klaus said interrupting him.

The doctor looked down at his paper then back up at them.

"There was some damage on her cerebral cortex, if you would have brought her an hour later she probably would have died, but it was an easy fix she will recover quickly. She hadn't eaten in about two days so she was malnourished. We prevented miscarriage just barely. She was very lucky. We are still monitoring the fetus, because it is developed up to 22 weeks, but it is incredibly small. So Miss Forbes does need to come in every couple of weeks to check up on the fetus. Other than that everything is fine and she can go home tomorrow."

"Thank you, Doctor." Elijah said with a smile.

"Can we see her?" Klaus asked.

"Yes. Right this way." The doctor said leading them out the room and down a few hallways. They kept turning and making their way around. It seemed like a maze. The blank white walls that looked the same around every corner made it look like they had been walking in circles. Finally the stopped at room 306.

"She is right there. She might be asleep, but she should be waking up soon."

"Thank you very much doctor." Elijah said.

Klaus and Elijah walked into the dim lit room. She was laying in the bed, lost in sleep. It seemed like an uncomfortable sleep from the way she stirred.

Klaus was quick to take a seat beside her, waiting for her to awake from her slumber. Elijah smiled down at his brother. He knew how much his brother loved the girl. He had seen it in his eyes, even before she went missing. He knew they both felt the same. He saw it in both eyes. The same jealousy when one of them was with another, the same worry when one was hurt, the same compassion when the other lost someone or something they loved, and most of all he saw the love they gave each other. He saw all those emotions and he wondered why they couldn't see it too.

"I'm going to call Elena, Bekah, and the others." Elijah said before walking out of the room.

Klaus just sat there and watched her as she shifted uncomfortably. He wished there was some way that he could help. She looked like she was having a terrible nightmare. He wasn't sure if he should wake her, but when she started mumbling whilst goosebumps ran down her arms, he decided to wake her.

"Caroline." He called her name sweetly a few times before she arose from her nap. Her eyes opened slowly taking in her surroundings. Then her eyes fell on her abdomen making sure that the baby was still there and of course it was.

"The baby is fine." Klaus said, causing Caroline to turn to look at him. "They said it was developing well, but you're going to have to come in soon so they can check on it's size."

She nodded. He clasped his hands together while looking down at the floor. He didn't really know how to ask what he had to ask. He didn't really want to know either. But with his job it was inevitable. He had to. He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head. This was not going to be an easy thing to discuss.

"Caroline, I kno-"

"Nik, I don't want to talk about it, Okay?" She said with unshed tears in her eyes as she stared down at the covers of her bed. She knew what he wanted to ask but at the time the answer was no. She couldn't talk about it.

"I know, love. I know you don't want to talk about it. and frankly neither do I, but Caroline, its my job. You have to. Not to mention that this is going to court, sweetheart. Trust me I know it won't be easy, with the media up your ass all the time-"

"The media?" She said with an arched brow.

"You were all over the news for months and now that you're back you'll be quite the celebrity."

"Oh god." She said closing her eyes and shaking her head

"Yes, so they're going to want your story too."

"What if I don't want to tell them?"

"The media is pretty ruthless, love."

She sighed. "Okay fine, but I don't want to talk about it right now, just give me some time."

He avoided the fact that he really couldn't give her that much time. A case is a case. If you leave it alone for too long it becomes more and more hard to convict the person on trail. But she didn't know that.

"Do you at least know where we can find the man who did this to you?" He said in a serious tone.

She nodded. She took in a deep breath. "Yeah, They're in a barn."

"They?" He growled and his eyes narrowed. "As in there are more than one."

"Nik" She said placing a hand on his arm trying to calm him down. He sighed and pushed his anger aside for the moment, knowing that she didn't need that.

"Right," He said in a low, yet calmer tone. "Now you said barn. What about a barn what does it look like?"

"I don't know. A small barn. It was green?... or blue? I can't really remember, it was two days ago." She stated, flustered.

"Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll find them and we'll lock them up." Klaus said calmly getting up and kissing her forehead. "I have to make a call. Elijah is on the phone with Bekah and the others. You want to see Bekah, sweetheart?" He asked as if she was a child.

"Nik, I'm not a little girl." She said with a smile.

"Right." He smirked. "I'll be right back."

She nodded knowing that he wouldn't be just "right back." He had business to take care of. Business that needed to be done. In short, he had to kick some ass. He stopped at the doorway and turned back to face her.

"I've missed you. A lot." He said grinning. "I'm happy you're finally home."

She returned the smile with one of her own. "Me too."

About ten minutes later Elijah walked into the room to find Caroline flipping through channels on the television. He stood by the doorway taking in the girl's appearance. She was very small for a pregnant women. Maybe even smaller than she had been before she was taken. He wondered if anyone had fed her at all over the past eight months. A growing look of concern came over him. It saddened him that, the girl he watched grow up, could sit there looking so disheveled. She was probably the strongest girl he knew, even in her weakest moment. And now, here was a tattered girl that had been used as some sick demented person's personal rag-doll. Though, he had to admit most people wouldn't have made it that far and she did. That did say that she was still a very strong individual despite her broken appearance.

She caught his eye and grinned from ear to ear.

"Eli!" She squealed.

He laughed at the name he hadn't heard in what felt like forever.

"Caroline." He smiled walking over to the seat previously occupied by his brother.

"You look well." She said, her smile never fading.

"Thank you, very much." He said politely.

"How's Kat?" She asked with anticipation.

"She is well. She seems to excited for the wedding-"

Caroline gasped in excitement.

"YOU PROPOSED?!"

He winced a little at her scream, then he chuckled. "And there goes my hearing..."

"Oh sorry!" She said with a giggle. "When did you propose?"

"About a month ago. Dinner with my family. It was chaos, but things have died down a bit since." He said.

She smiled at the thought.

"That's exciting!"

"Indeed." He said.

After there grew and uncomfortable silence as she waited for the conversation to arise again. He looked into her eyes almost apologizing for the question that she was sure to be asked a thousand times, but he was the only prosecution lawyer in town. There were things that he couldn't get around. She was a victim and he needed to hear her side. "So Caroline..."

She closed her eyes and leaned back against her elevated bed. She knew it was coming. Again. With Nik being a cop and Elijah being a lawyer she would get the same speeches from both of them.

"I already told Nik, I don't want to talk about it... Please, Elijah." She pleaded twiddling her thumbs not looking up at his face. She couldn't talk about it. She tried to push those memories way for the time being. They were memories she wanted to forget. Forever. She wished that she could just wake up and not remember what happened. She wished she hadn't been through what she had.

"Sorry. It was very inconsiderate of me to not give you some time." Elijah said understandingly.

There was silence for a moment as the two thought of something to say next.

"Everyone is on their way. Though Elena and Damon are coming back from Florida so they might be a while."

Caroline smiled. She missed her friends. A lot. And she wondered what had been happening in their lives since she left. Apparently she had missed a lot. Elijah and Katherine were getting married for Christ sake!

"When are they all coming?"

"Well Kol, Rebekah, and Matt are on their way. Stefan and Jeremy are coming from the Gilbert's lodge. Kat was out shopping with Bonnie and Lexi, but I left them all voicemails. I'm sure they'll be here as soon as they can."

She expected him to say something about her mother, but when he didn't she thought there was cause for concern.

"What about my mom?" She asked.

He looked like there was something he wanted to say to her. She could tell something was wrong.

"She is coming, right?"

He shook his head sadly. "No. She isn't coming."

"Is she still mad at me?" She said as tears accumulated in her eyes. Her and her mother had gotten into a fight that went unresolved about two days prior to the kidnapping. It was pretty bad. They hadn't talked to each other during those two days at all. After that Caroline regretted not apologizing to her mother and leaving things as bad as they were. She didn't know if she would ever see her mother again. Oh how she regretted it. She loved her mother with all of her heart and she missed her dearly. But now that she has returned her mother wouldn't see her?

"She isn't the least bit mad at you, Caroline." Elijah said trying to keep the girl from crying, though he knew she would. He knew how close her and her mother were. To hear such news. It would crush her.

"Then what Elijah? Did something happen to her?" She asked in a panic.

"Well..."

"Oh my god." She said cupping her mouth as tears flowed down her cheeks. "She's dead! I didn't think they'd actually kill my mother! They told me -They warned me-" she held back sobs. "I didn't listen because I thought they were bluffing! I didn't think-"

"Caroline." He said in a calm voice. She paused looking up at him. "Your mother isn't dead."

"Really?" She asked wiping away the tears.

"Yes, but I don't want you to get too excited."

She only watch with apprehension.

"Your mother,..." He began with a sigh. "Your mother, she is in the mental ward."

**_Like? No like? Tell me please. Thank you guys for all of the lovely reviews my lovelies! Sorry about the week and a half wait. I was trying to add depth to the story! I can rewrite if most of you don't like. Anyway. Until next time! PEACE._**

**_P.S. Reviews are VERY greatly appreciated!_**

**_P.S.S. please bare with me. I'm not good with updating._**


	3. It's okay to not be okay

Lifeline ch.3

It's okay to not be okay.

**Warning. Non graphic mentions of rape and abuse.**

Oh my god you guys are killing me with your reviews( in a good way)! I'm so happy! So anyway thank you! Sorry bout the wait but school, writing, and practice can get hard to juggle. Very sorry. My apologizes .

"Elijah. That isn't funny." I said looking into his eyes seeing only truth behind them. Elijah didn't kid around. He didn't tell jokes, yet it was hard to believe . My mother isn't crazy. I know she isn't.

"Caroline," He said with sympathy, then he grabbed my hand making me flinch at the touch. He just looked at me. I could see the concern in his eyes. I could tell he wasn't just some joke.

I suddenly felt to urge to vomit. Without uttering a word I quickly I got up from the bed and made my way to the bathroom and closed the door behind me.

A few minutes later, after I had emptied out my stomach contents into the toilet, I rinsed my mouth and looked up at myself in the mirror. I was a bit taken back by the person staring back at me.

Who was this girl?

Surely she wasn't me..., but she was. My hair was a long mess, knotted at every strand. Then there were my eyes, which had dark circles, no doubt caused by the nights which I was too scared to sleep. Also there was the fact that despite being 5 months pregnant I looked incredibly thin. Looking at my appearance made me shudder.

I hadn't seen what I looked like in a very long time and now it was weird. They never kept a mirror in the "bathroom" they set up. if you consider a hose, a portapotty, (that was most likely stolen) and curtain they had put up out of shear 'kindness' a bathroom. I guess they kept mirrors away because they didn't want me to slit my wrist on broken glass or something.

I was startled by a knock at the door.

"Are you okay in there?" Elijah asked through the door.

"Yeah." I said opening the door. Elijah tried to help me back to the bed, but I shook my head. I walked over and got in bed adjusting the covers to suit my liking.

"Fair warning. Matt, Kol, and Rebekah have arrived and they are on their way up."

"Thank you Elijah." I said. My mind was still wrapped around my mother being in the mental ward. My mother had gone crazy? But she was completely sane! Surely there must have been some mistake. My mother was not crazy. I mean sure she was a little over the top sometimes, but who isn't. She never had any major meltdowns. She was always so calm about things...

"Elijah?"

"Yes?"

"Can we see my mother?.. I mean later of course,..."

"If you'd like. We can visit tomorrow. How's that sound?"

"Great. It sounds great." I grinned back at him.

Before he could open his mouth to speak there was a loud screaching noise.

"CAROLINE!" A crying Rebekah ran and embraced me. She held on to me for dear life.

"Hey, I'm not going anywhere."

She nodded letting me go. She held back a gasp and her eyes nearly popped out as she looked at my appearance. I noticed her eyes wonder from my face to my stomach.

"Rebekah!" Matt said as he reached the door. "You took off! I-"

He froze staring at me as well.

Just then Kol approached the door walking at a normal pace. He nearly ran into Matt. He glanced at Matt and raised an eyebrow. Then trailed his eyes to what Matt was staring at. His eyes grew wide in surprise. He began to cough in a fit.

I sighed this would be a long day.

I was right. The genuine shock throughout the rest of the gang was expected. Stefan didn't comment much on it. He was too polite. Jeremy didn't have much to say either, but then again he always seemed to keep quite in uncomfortable situations. Kat, being Kat was just as excited as ever. She kept saying how she couldn't wait to take care of her niece or nephew. Bonnie and Lexi both just gave weary smiles. I'm pretty sure they understood what was going on. I knew by the time Elena and Damon got there it would be reaching night fall. It was nearing eight when they finally did come.

"Oh my god! Caroline!" Elena said. She, of course, began crying she got a look at me. She was bawling actually. She dropped her things and hugged onto me tightly.

Damon huffed. "Lena if you don't let her go I think she's gonna pop!"

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She said making sure I was okay. "Did I hurt you?"

"No no I'm fine." I laughed. "Did you two have a nice trip?"

"Yes. It was fine. The worst part was getting past the paparazzi." Damon began.

I looked at then incoherently.

"You didn't know? They are starting to accumulate in vast numbers." Damon said.

"What?!" I said jumping out of bed to look out of the window.

There they were. Hundreds of them huddled outside the hospital doors.. Thank god for security.

"Oh my god. Oh my god." I said shaking my head. "No no no no no."

Suddenly one spotted me. I quickly moved before he shot a picture of me.

"How did this happen?"

"I speculate that after we all started gathering at the hospital word must have leaked to the press." Elijah said.

"What am I going to do?"

"Calm down sweetheart." Nik said walking back into the room. "I have it arranged. We're sneaking you out. Don't worry about it. Just lay back down."

I sat back down on the bed. Nik motioned for the rest of everyone to leave the room. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. They all hugged me goodbye and exited. He sat down in the chair to my left.

"Caroline, sweetheart," Nik said "There is someone here and they need to speak with you... about what happened."

"Do I have to?" I asked

"Sorry, love, but you do unless you want these men to walk away free. The sooner we can get the information the sooner we can prosecute."

I drew in a deep breath and exhaled. "Okay. Fine."

"I can leave if you'd like." He said getting up. I grabbed his hand.

"N-no." I said staring into his eyes as he stared back. He sat back down beside me.

I was startled by a knock at the door. My heart began to beat rapidly. Nik squeezed my hand.

"I'm right here, sweetheart." He said. He paused for a second. "Are you ready?"

I gulped, but then nodded. "Lets get this over with."

"Come in!" Nik said.

In walked a tall man in a suit. He had blue eyes and brown hair. His crisp locks and chiseled features made him look like a male model, but I somehow his looks didn't attract me, they comforted me more than anything.

"Hello. I'm detective Thompson." He said then offered out his hand, which I reluctantly shook. "I work for the special victims unit. Can you explain to me what happened?"

I looked to Nik, who just smiled encouragingly.

"F-from the beginning?"

"Yes please." He said politely.

"Okay. I was brought there in February... They put me in a barn. I wasn't aloud to leave, not that there was a way out. They put chains on the door..."

He began writing it all down. He looked to me as to tell me to continue.

"Every few days they would come in and feed me." I couldn't look either one of them in the eye. I just stared down at the covers of my bed. I let the tears roll down my cheeks freely, not bother to wipe them away. "They... Hurt me"

"Can you be more specific?"

"... Sometimes they would hit me... And kick me... A-and.." I looked up at Nik who stared back questioningly. He knew the answer. Did he really need me to say it? He knew what they did. So why the need for the explanation?

"And?" The detective asked.

I blinked a few times and looked back down at the covers of the bed. I raveled my fist into the sheets. "A-and they ... raped me."

Seconds passed in silence.

"Is this your first pregnancy?" The detective asked.

The tears began trailing faster. I shook my head. "No."

I didn't look at Nik, but I could feel his eyes on me.

"It happen before. Within the first months..."

"And how did they react to that?"

"At first they weren't happy. They didn't want it. They hated the thought. So they beat me until I passed out."

"So you miscarried?"

"Yes."

"What made them want you to keep this child?"

"When I woke up I heard them talking. They said it could be a good idea to sell the baby for a lot of money. So they got me pregnant. Again. They hired a doctor to come check on us every so often, but it had been a while since he had came. His name was ..- no no. ?.. No. Maybe it was Sca... I can't remember."

"It's alright . Is that all you have?" The detective asked.

"Um.. Yeah... Just about." I said still looking down at the tear stained bed sheets.

"Their names?"

"They went by Jim and Jerry around me."

"Alright. Thank you Miss Forbes. We will be in touch with you about the dates for the trial. Have a nice day." He walked out of the room leaving us alone.

I felt embarrassed just talking about it... I knew Nik would never see me as the same person after he knew everything. So was is selfish of me to want him there for my own comfort? Thinking made the tears come down faster.

I expected there to be words, but there were none. Not for a few minutes. The only things that could be heard were my soft sobs and the beeping of machines.

He stood and started walking around the room.

"Nik?" I asked worriedly.

"It's not fair." He said with an expression that could make anyone quiver. "ITS NOT FAIR!"

He yelled and banged his fist into the wall. He was on the edge. I had only seen his like this twice before.

Once was when his mother died. We were only kids. He lost it. He screamed and shouted at the cruelty that had been bestowed on their family. It was freshmen year. He went crazy. He was throwing things and breaking different objects. It terrified me. I was scared of him for a while after that, but I soon realized I had nothing to be scared of. That was the first time. The second was when he nearly beat the shit out of Tyler Lockwood senior year. Tyler and I were dating. We had been dating for a couple of months. We got into a fight the night before and it got pretty intense. For the first time he got aggressive with me. He hit me. A few times actually. He left bruises on my arm. Nik noticed almost the exact second he spotted me. He went straight up to Tyler and beat him to a pulp. He was lucky Elijah was such a good lawyer, he got away with only a few morning detentions. As you can guess Tyler and I broke up.

This time the circumstances were different. Everything was different.

"Nik..."

"No! Caroline. It's not fair! You shouldn't have to go through this! You got screwed over!"

" I know, Nik. its not fair. Other moms are out there right now shopping for their baby's clothes or a crib. I'm waiting to testify for a trail for the men who raped me...

I don't want this life Nik... But it's what I have. And I'll live with it. Because I have to. For you.. and Elijah and the others and for my baby." I said

He came over and laid down beside me.

"Caroline. I promise that I will never let anything or anyone cause you this much pain ever again." He said brushing my tear aside.

I smiled and nuzzled into his chest. "Thanks Nik."

"Anytime, love. Anytime."

"It's okay to not be okay, Nik."

"I know."

"You know what would make me feel better?" I smiled.

"What's that, love?" He asked staring up at the ceiling.

"If you would shave that rat off your face."

"Oh shut up." He laughed.

I laughed back.

I'll admit that right now. I'm not okay. And it's okay. To not be okay.


	4. The sun and the moon

**Sorry** **guise. It's very short and I didn't know how else to word it. And I have been busy, sorry. But I'm not superman so...  
You guys I am so motivated with every review. Thanks so much. I can't even explain.  
Please guys try and go easy on my grammar. My beta didn't help me... Sorry... ~(•_•~) anyway on with the show.**..

Chapter 4: The sun and the moon.

**_*Eight months ago.*_**

_He sat on his couch in nothing but a pair of sweatpants. His arms were folded across his chest as he looked up at the television screen. He seemed oblivious to what was actually happening. He just watched, unmoving.  
There was a knock at the door which he either ignored, or was oblivious to . Either way the person on the other side of the door knocked again.  
"Nik! I know you're home! Your car is here." A female voice said.  
There was no answer.  
"If you don't open the door I'll use my key."  
There was the sound of a door unlocking and the female stepped into the house.  
"Nik?" Her voice echoed through the large house.  
Her shoes made loud noises as she walked through the house. "Nik?!"  
She walked into the living room, where she found him.  
"Nik." She said with a frown.  
As if he was suddenly knocked from his trance he looked up at her.  
"Caroline." His features remained unemotional.  
"Nik, you scared me half to death! You didn't answer my texts or my calls! I thought you had done something stupid."  
He just leaned back against the couch and rolled his eyes.  
"It's been eight years, I would have thought you'd have grown out of this by now. Every year. Every year around this time you distance yourself from everyone. Me, Damon, Stefan, your family. They went back to England for the month and Elijah told me you weren't answering his calls?"  
He sighed getting up from his spot on the couch.  
"I don't know what to tell you, Caroline" He said walking into the kitchen.  
She quickly followed.  
"How about answering everyone." She crossed her arms.  
He opened the refrigerator door and got out the orange juice carton, which he drank from.  
"You're scaring me, Nik. You're scaring everyone. This.. it's just not natural. I understand you're mother is gone and you're mourning today. But not talking to anyone? I was scared for you."  
"I'm fine." He said putting the orange juice back and closing the refrigerator. "I am just not in the mood to be lectured."  
"Fine. Okay Klaus. I'll leave." She said using the name that she only used when she was upset at him or angry. She gathered her things and head to the door.  
He sighed again. "No, Caroline don't leave... I'm sorry."  
She stopped.  
"Stay... Please."  
She looked back at him.  
"You know how I get, especially today... I don't want to shut you out."  
"Then tell me!" She said crossing her arms once more.  
"Tell you what?" He raised an eyebrow.  
"Don't play stupid. I know there was something. I see that look in your eyes every time I mention your mother. It's more than just pain! There is something you are not telling me!"  
"You really don't want me to go into it."  
"Since when did you start keeping secrets from me?"  
"That's not fair. Don't play that card."  
"What? I don't keep things from you. why would you keep things from me?"  
"Drop it, Caroline."  
"Why can't you ju-"  
"Fine!" He interrupted. "I'll tell you."  
She waited impatiently as he tried to collect his thoughts.  
"I uh..." He didn't want to scare her off, but she was right it was unfair. They shared everything with each other. But this wasn't something he wanted her to know. He had been keeping this secret for eight years. A secret which would scare her out of her mind.  
Why not just tell her part of the truth? It's not a total lie. Maybe a little white lie. Its not like she would know the difference. He didn't have to spill the whole thing, that way she didn't have to be scared of him.  
He took a deep breath and exhaled. "I was there. I saw her die."  
"You were there when she was killed?" She spoke softly.  
"Yes." He said sitting down on a stool by the counter. She stayed silent as she went to him.  
"I'm so sorry, Nik." She whispered as she hugged him from behind.  
"I'll be okay." He smiled sadly.  
"What happened?" She asked  
"That's another conversation for another day." He said hoping she wouldn't push on the subject more.  
"Okay." She said grabbing his hand and giving it a subtle squeeze. She smiled brightly. "I'm good with that."  
"Thanks." He said.  
She quickly got him up onto his feet.  
"What are you doing?" He asked.  
"You need to get out of this house! Put on a shirt and some real pants and meet me outside in five."  
"Where are we going?" He asked intuitively.  
"We're going out for drinks." She winked.  
"Caroline..." He groaned.  
"Five minutes!" She said walking away.  
He shook his head as he watched her leave.  
'Maybe drinks aren't such a bad idea.'_

_5 shots of rum, 6 beers, 2 cosmopolitans, 3 glasses bourbon later, one drunk Caroline, and one car ride later...  
Klaus held Caroline up by the waist as she tried to walk into the house.  
"Okay this is not what I thought you meant when you said we were going 'out'." He said helping her through the doorway.  
"But we haven't...even gone out in like... for a while." She mumbled.  
She stumbled into the house and almost tripped but caught her.  
He chuckled at her. "You're really drunk."  
He helped her steady herself. She giggled as she got back onto her feet. Suddenly her giggling stopped. She stared up at him.  
"You have such pretty eyes, Nikky." She said as she examined his face.  
"And you're a funny drunk." He said. "Come, love. Up to bed for you."  
He took her hand and led her to the stairs.  
"I'm not even tired!" She said pulling him back and closer to her.  
His breath caught in his throat as their bodies made contact. He got a whiff of her perfume which smelt of lavender and roses.  
'Control yourself.' He thought to himself.  
She wrapped her arms around his neck, which made him flinch.  
"You smell so good." She whispered in his ear.  
He froze for a second then shook his head. 'She's drunk. She isn't making sense.'  
"You've always been so attractive." She said seductively.  
He took a deep breath. 'She's your best friend. She doesn't like you like that. She doesn't.'  
"Caroline." He said look into her eyes practically begging her to stop.  
"Niklaus." She mimicking his tone. She traced the outline of his shirt collar.  
"We can't do this." He said yet he didn't dare to move. His mind was telling him this was wrong. His heart was pleading with him.  
"Why not?" She asked with genuine curiosity.  
He racked his brain for the answer.  
'No. Don't do this to her. What would this do to your relationship?'  
"It's wrong." He said  
"But why?" She said, her eyes boring into his.  
"You're drunk." He said without hesitation.  
She frowned and let go of his neck. "I knew it. You don't love me." She backed away. He could tell she was going to cry.  
"Sweetheart of course I love you!" He inched toward her.  
She backed up further. She let tears run down her cheeks. "No! You don't love me like I love you!"  
"What do you mean?"  
"I love you like the sun loves the moon." She stated. He knew she was drunk. He knew she was barely making sense. He also could see in her eyes she meant what she said. She loved him. The way he loved her. The way he had sense he could remember.  
He chuckled. He had wanted this for so long. He had wanted her for so long. Could this be real? Was this a dream? Even if it was he would take his chance.  
He pulled her body to his and wiped the tears from her eyes.  
"You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say... Well maybe not that but something close." He smirked.  
"You love me?" She asked with a sniff.  
He nodded. "Like the sun loves the moon."_

__

He laid next to Caroline, who was lost in sleep. She was dressed in one of his T-shirts. He loved how she looked in his over sized T-shirt.  
He knew it would be awkward in the morning, but he basked in the moment.  
He kissed her forehead.  
"Goodnight, love." He said wrapping his arm around her and drifting off to sleep.

************Present day***********  
***Caroline's point of view.*****

I laid there in a pool of my own blood swaying between consciousness and unconsciousness. The worst part was that no matter what I couldn't escape them. They tortured me when I was awake and they haunted my every dream. I couldn't escape. I would never escape.  
I tried to steady my breathing to stay awake. I laid there and listened.  
They were outside of the barn and they were yelling. I tried to listen close to hear their mumbled words.  
"What do you mean we should have kept the child? Are you insane?" Jim said.  
"I'm saying that maybe we should have! If we did, we could have sold the child for a big profit. Yang sells children. Why can't we?" Jerry said. She could just imagine the grin on both of their faces.  
"That's not such a bad idea." Jim said.  
"Well it's too late now!"  
"Maybe not... Maybe it's time for us to have a child." Jim stated with a bitter laugh.  
My eyes shot open and I began to shake. Tears started to accurate as I realized what they were saying. I wanted to scream and cry and break down, but I knew that would only end up with me in a body bag.  
I heard them unlatching the door. I quickly shut my eyes and pretended to still be passed out.  
Then Jerry kicked me.  
My eyes opened slowly as the tears rushed down my cheeks. "Get up, sweetheart."

My heart began racing as I sat up in the hospital bed. Everyone was there in the room watching me with concerned faces. They must have been waiting for me to wake up.. Again. I felt unshed tears stinging my eyes and I held back the lump in my throat.  
They didn't know. They had no idea what I had been through. Yet they thought they understood. They didn't know the real story. Not even close.  
"Are you alright, love?" Nik asked coming and sitting at the foot of the bed.  
I shook my head. He pulled me in for a hug. I broke down into sobs.  
"It's alright, love. You're okay now, sweetheart." He said soothing me.  
I held onto him tightly. I wasn't sure if he had connected the dots yet, but sure enough it would come soon. He would realize that the first child I bared was his. And when he does he won't look at me the same.

But for now he was the sun and I was the moon.


End file.
